Copying-machine.



J. J. PLANIGAN.

COPYING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1909.

L@19,81m Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

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COPYING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1909.

Pa tented Mar. 5, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. J. FLANIGAN.

COPYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1909. 1,019,812 7 Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

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COPYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1909.

* Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

4 SHEET8-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. FLANIGAN', OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASS'IGNOR' TO DUPLICATORMANUFAC- TURING GOMIAN Y, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF WESTVIRGINIA.

COPYING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

' Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Application filed September 22, 1909. Serial No. 518,989.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. FLANIGAN, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Copying-Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of multiple copying machines, orhectographs, as they are sometimes called, and has reference moreparticularly to a new and improved device including a roller platenforsimpressing the original and copy sheets upon the gelatinizedduplicating band orother surface which receives the imprint of therecord from the original sheet and transfers it to the copy sheets.

My invention has beendesigned primarily as a simplified improvement uponthe roller platen disclosed in Letters Patent Number 965,887, granted tome on the 2nd day of August, 1910, on av multiple copyingv machine; butit will-be readily understood'that it is capable of'application to anduse in .ZEwonnect-ion with any copying machine em- 'ploying aduplicating surface suitably sup.- ported to permit of. the passage ofazplaten roller thereover.

' In the machine of my patent, above referred to, .the .roller platen isof such. a .nature that the impressed; portionHofnthe-paper sheet isrolled up thereon as .the platen advances over the band; whereas,..in mypresent device, .the impressed portion -of the paper sheet remains inflat contact with the band until the platen rollenmakes its returnmovement.

The device of my present invention com" prisesas to its chief structuralfeatures. a

4'3 suitable'frame mounted to move bodily on a slidewayof theduplicating machineand equipped with a pair of parallel rollsor theirequivalents normally lying-in surface v contact with each other, betweenwhich the paper sheet containing the matter to be transferred to theduplicating band is passed, oneof said rolls beingfixedly journaled inthe frame, and the other (which. is preferabl a rubber orrubber'surfaced roll) being ournaled in angularly movable arms whereby,through suitable connection to an operating handle, said last named rollmay be retracted from the fixed roll toadmit the edge of the sheetbetween said rolls v and may then, in surface contact with said platen.frame and. releases said roll at the 1whereby to insuredhe introductionof the z iforward. edgeof. the sheet. to' the proper .amountor extent.

.athinjfiat stri .plicatingiban and formsa-rest or support for the upperblank edge of the sheet when fiXed roll, bemoved bodily toward and fromreturn travel of the platen frame.

In connection with the rolls aforesaid, the device also includes anautomatically acting lock which maintains the impression 0r platen rollin working position during both the forward and return travelof thecompletion of the return travel so as to permit-it: to be withdrawn fromcontact with the fixed roll for the subsequent insertion of a freshsheet.

Stillanother feature. resides in the pro- .vision of. a,.pivoted,gage-barwhich coopcrates with theforwardfor advance edge of .the sheetto square the latter relatively to thevduplicating band, and also formsa stop Still anotherikfeature which-I, preferably employtopreventsticking of the upper blank edgeof. the sheet to the duplicating band,consists of a shield; in the nature of or bar that overlies thedulthelatter is impressed upon the duplicating hand by-the. platen roll.

' Othenm-inor agents and accessories con tributingte the 'etficiency and.utility of the device. will be pointed out and explained .in

.the'following-.detail description of :its several parts and its mannerof operation.

Inflthe accompanying drawings -I have illustrated one practical form inwhich the invention may be embodied, and referring .thereto,-

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the frame and duplicating'band of acopying machine, showing my improved roller platen mounted and.operating thereover, the platen frame being shown in working posit-ion.110

Fig. 2 is asimilar view on an enlarged scale, showing only a portion ofthe machine frame and duplicating band, and showing the movable'parts ofthe device in the relative positions assumed when the impression rollhas been raised out of contact with the duplicating band but notseparated from the fixed roll. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of theplaten with the parts in the positions assumed when the impression rollis in its lowermost or working position. Figs. 4 and 5 arecross-sectional views on the line 4-5 of Fig.- 2, looking in oppositedirections, as' indicated by the arrows. Figs. 6 and 7 arecross-sectional views on the lines 66 and 7-7, respectively, of Fig. 1.Fig.

8 is a cross-sectional detail similar to Figs,

4 and 6, but showing the relative positions of the parts when the rollsare separated and with a sheet of paper introduced between them.

Referring to the drawings, 10 and 11 designate the opposite side-framemembers of the copying machine, and '12 a horizontal 1 platform or tablesupported by and between said side-frame members and itself constitutinga rest or support for the usual gelatin duplicating band. I have hereinshown the machine as equipped with a pair of such duplicating bands 13and 14, similar to theindependently operable duplicating bands disclosedinmy aforesaid patent. However, these parts of the apparatus are notmaterial to the present invention, but are illustrated merely for thesake of making clearer the purpose and mode of operation of the latter.

Supported in brackets 15 secured to sideframe 11 is a rod 16 thatconstitutes a support and 'slideway for a carriage 17 secured to orintegral with which is a substantially rectangular frame. member formedwith parallel side walls 18 and 19 and parallel 7 end walls 20 and 21.Pivotally mounted within and between the end walls 20 and 21 of thisrectangular frame are a pair of substantially'bail-shaped yokes orframes comprising parallel bars 22 and 23 which extend lengthwlse' ofthe containing frames and are formed at their ends with arms 24 and 25,respectively, extending at right angles thereto. The arms 24, carryingthe bar 22,

are pivoted near their inner ends at 26 to the end walls 20 and 21, justinwardly of the frame wall 19, and the arms 25, carrying the bar 23, arepivoted near their outer ends at 27 just'inwardly of the frame wall 18(-Fig.

ivots 27 constitute the reduced 7 The xed roll 28 that extends betweenends of a the arms 25. The arms '24 and 25 at each end of the devicepartially overlap each other, and their overlapping portions are formedwith marginal notches 29 and 30, re-

I spectively, best shown in Fig. 7, which notches-constitute movablebearings for the reduced ends or'spindles 31 of the impression or platenroll 32, said spindles 31 in turn, constituting in effect a hingedconnection between the arms 24 and 25, whereby when either pair of armsis rocked, the other is simultaneously rocked. The impression roll'32 isnormally urged into surface contact with the fixed roll by torsionsprings 33,- as best shown in Figs. 3 and 6, said springs bearing uponthe reduced end por- 'tions of the roll.

Pivoted at 34 to the upper ends of the end walls 20 and 21 are a pair ofarms 35. which support between them an angle-bar 36 that constitutes agage-bar and stop to determine and limit the insertion of the sheetbetween the rolls 32 and 28, as well as to square the end of the sheetwhen so inserted. One of the arms 35 is connected at itsupper end aboveits pivot 34 by a tension spring 37 to 7 an arm 38 rigid with one of theroll-carrying arms 24 so that, when these latter are elevated, asshownin Fig. 8, to separate the rolls 28 and 32 for the insertion of thesheet, thegage-bar 36 is thereby swung into operative position oppositethe space between said rolls to receive and square the forward edge ofthe paper sheet, in the manner clearly indicated in Fig. 8.

The upper portion of the side wall 18 of the frame is outwardly flaredor inclined, as shown at 18*, thereby forming a suitable support for a.guide-chute 39 which directs the entrance and discharge of the papersheet. This guide-chute has a fixed wall 39* on one side, and on theopposite side a movable wall 39 carried by a bent supporting clip 40which embraces the adjacent end of the base-plate of the chute, beingslidably supported and guided in keepers 41 on the under side of thelatter, as plainly shown in the bottom plan view, Fig. 3.

As above stated, the roller platen of my inventionis designed to impressthe paper sheet uponthe gelatin sheet during both its forward and returntravel. To insure such action of the impression roller, I'provid adevice in the nature of a'lock which, when the impression roller islowered to working position, automatically. locks the same in saidworking position and maintains it of the frame, its lower end normallyoverlying the upper edge of one of the roll-carrying arms 24; whereby,when said arm is in lowered position, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7,

the lower end of the latch automatically swings over the upper edge ofthe arm 24, thus locking the impression roll 32in working position, asshown in Fig. 6. The latch 42 has a depending extension on its upperextension, coming in contact with a fixed stop 44 attached to theside-frame of the-machine, swings the latch out of locking engagementwith the roller-supporting frame, and thus permits the latter to be.rocked so asto raise the impression roll to the intermediate or fullyelevated positions for the discharge of the'used sheet and theintroduction of a fresh sheet.-

The spindle 31 of the impression roll is, as best shown in the bottomplan view, Fig. 3, extended beyond the end wall. of the frame andterminates in a spirally grooved spool45 that engages a cord 46 (Fig. 1)se.

cured and extending between the brackets l5and having interposed thereina tension spring 47. The engagement of the spool with this cord, on theto and fro bodily travel of the platen, rotates the impression roll inan obvious manner, thus feeding the sheet between the rolls 28 and 32,as Well as pressing said sheet by a rolling. contact upon the gelatinsheet of thecopying machine.

Rigidly secured to and rising centrally from the bar 22 is an operatinghandle 48 equipped with'a' shield-49, by which handle the impressionroll is manipulated, and the entire platen frame itself is actuated'toand fro above the gelatin-sheet.

I preferably employ in connection with the mechanism thus far described,a shield or guard-strip overlying the copying apron of the machineandadapted to support and shield the upper marginal portion of the.

sheet from contact with the sticky gelatinous copying band. Thisguard-strip, designated by 50,- is hinged at 51 to a bracket 52 that isclamped to the sides-frame member 10 in any suitable manner, as by aclamp-' screw Thebracket 52 has formed inter gral therewith a stop 44hereinbeforereferred to .as cooperating with the downwardly turnedextension 42 of" the latch 42; and, in order to gage the starting pointof the roller platen at a uniform position relatively to the copyingapron, I preferably provide a projecting lug 54 on the end wall 4 20 ofthe platen frame, which lug is adapted to register with and pass througha correspondingly shaped notch 55 in the stopmember 44 as the platenframe is swung downwardly into operative position above the shield 50. 4

In the operation of the device, the platen frame having been placed atits initial or starting position, as represented in Fig. 2, the handle48 is swung back tothe limit of its movement, thus separating the rolls28 and 32, in which movement the wall 19 of the frame is struck by thearm 38, thus constituting a stop for limiting the extent of cated inFig. 8, being supported on the guide-chute 39 and squared by contact ofits advance edge with the gage-bar 36. Upon releasing the backwardpressure upon the handle, the springs 33 and 37 at once act to returnthe parts to the relative positions shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which therolls 28' and 32 grip the paper sheet between them. The platen frame isthen lowered by the handle 48- to full working position by dropping thelug 54 through the notch 55, and the handle is then pressed forwardly tothe position indicated in Fig. 1, which lowers the impression roll 32 tothe working position indicated in Fig. 6, wherein it presses the papersheet upon the surface of the duplicating band. The entire platen frameisthen pushed forwardly, the cord 46 and spool 45 imparting a rotarymovement to the impression roll at just such a speed asis-necessary tocause it to roll without slipping overthe surface of the paper as thelatter is thus fed down between the rolls 32 and 28. As the handle isswung forwardly, carrying the im ression roll down into workingposi-tion, the latch 42 automatically drops into locking position overthe upper edge of one of the arms 24, so that the parts are. therebylocked in the relative positions indicated in Fig. 6. The advancemovement is continued until the space occupied by the printed matter oneither the sheet orthe duplicating band has been passed over, and thenthe platen frame is returned, the impression roll being still heldlocked in lowered or working position. The platenframe is then returned,the impression roll, during the return travel, rotating, of course, inthe opposite direction, so as to feed the sheet upwardly, butv at thesame time'repeating the pressure upon the sheet and thereby the betterinsuring the transfer of-the record from the sheet to the apron or fromthe apron to the sheet, as the case may be, than where but a singleimpression is made. As the platen frame reaches approximately itsinitial or starting position, the depending. extension 42 of the latch42 strikes the bracket 44, thereby releasing-the locking effect of thelatch 42 upon the rower-carrying devices and permitting the handle 48 tobe swung backwardly for the removal of the sheet and the introduction ofa fresh sheet.

\ The shield 50 is not indispensable, but where employed prevents theupper edge of the sheet from sticking to the'apron, so that thelatter isreadily withdrawn after the impression roll has been raised.

7 I claim:

1. In a copying machine, the combination with aframe adapted to movebodily over the duplicating surface of the copying:

' machine,'of a. stationary roller mounted in a sheet of said frame, aplaten roller carried by said frame, means foractuating said platenroller bodily toward and from said stationary .roller and also towardand from said. duplicating surface, and a gage-bar serving to arrestandsquare the advance: edge ofa; sheet inserted between said rollers,substantially as described 2. Ina copying'machiiie, the

with a frameadaptedto move iover the duplicating s'urfacesof the copyingmachine, of a stationary roller moim't'edin said frame, a platenroller-carried by said frame, means for actuating said platen rollerbodily toward and from said stationary 'rollerand also toward andfrom'said duplicating surface, 'a movable gage-bar, and operatingconnections'between the latter and the actuating means-of said platenroller whereby, when said rollers arersepa overlying said duplicatingsurface and,

adapted to-shield the upper marginal portion of vthe sheet from contactwith said duplicating surface when said sheet is impressed upon'thelatter, substantially as described. v

4. In a copying machine, the combination with side-frame members and aduplieating surface mounted therebetween, of a platen-frame movablebodily over. said' dwplicating surface," means carried ,bysaidplaten-frame for'grippin and impressing a sheet of paper upon saiduplicat nglsun face, a bracket adjustably secured to one of said sidemembers, a shieldor'guard strip carried by said bracket and overlyingsaid duplicating surface, said guard strip adapt ed to shield the uppermarginal portion of the sheet from contact with said duplicatingsurface, and positioning devices carried by said platen frame andbracket, respectively,

for determining the initial or starting position of said platen framerelatively to said guard strip and duplicating surface,

substantially as described.

5. In a copying machine, the combination with a frame adapted to movebodily over the duplicating surfacepf the copying machine, of astationary roller mounted in scribed. i

frame, a yoke I pivotall said frame, a yoke pivotally mounted in saidframe and having an operating handle, and an impression roller mountedin and between the arms of said yoke and adapted to be moved by thelattertowardjand from said stationary roller, substantially as de 6.In-Jacop. machine, the combination ,withja frame adapted to move bodilyover th dupfiming surface of the copying ma- (chine, of alpair, of yokeshaving at each end overlapping arm's pivoted in said frame andformedgwithfregistering marginal notches,

a stationary. roller mounted between the arms of one ofsaid yokesico'axially with the' pivots thereof,- an impression roller 'journaledin the registering notches of said arms, spring .means normally urgingsaid impression roller toward said stationary roller, and an operatinghandle mounted on the otherlrofasaid yokes whereby said impressionroller maybe separated from said stationary roller to admit a papersheet between them, and may be depressed to a position to rollinglyimpress said sheet upon said duplicating surface, substantially asdescribed:

7. Ina copying machine, the dombination with'a frame adapted'to'movebodily over the duplicating surface of the copying machine, of a pair ofyokes having at each end overlapping arms pivoted in said frame andformed with registering marginal notches, a stationary roller mountedbetween the arms of one of said yokes coaizially with the pivotsthereof, an impression roller journa'led in the registering notches ofsaid arms, spring-means normally urging said impression roller 'towardsaid stationary roller, an operating'lh'andle mounted on the other ofsaid yokes whereby said impression roller may be separated from saidstationary rollerto admit a paper sheet between them, and may bedepressed to a position to rollingly said sheet upon said duplicatingsurface, and means for imparting rotation to said impression roller asthe platen is moved over said duplicating surface,substantiallyas'described, 1

8. In a copying machine, the combination with a frame adapted to'mo'vebodily over the duplicating surface of the copying ma chine, of astationary roller mounted in said mounted in said frame, an impressionro ler mounted in and between the arms of said yoke, an operating handleon'saidyoke whereby said impression roller-'inay be separated from saidstationary roller to admit a sheet of paper between them, and, maysubsequently be depressed to rollingly impress said sheet upon saidduplicating surface, a movable gage-bar, and operating connectionsbetween the latter and said yoke whereby when said rollers are separated'said gag'e-bar is moved to; a position-to arrest and square the advanceedge of the sheet, and, when said impression roll is depressed, saidgage-bar is moved out of the path of movement of said impressionroller,.substantially as described.

9. In a copying machine, the combination with a frame adaptedtomove-bodily over the duplicating surface of the copying machine, of astationary roller mounted in said frame, a yoke pivotally mounted insaid frame, an impression roller mounted in and between the arms of saidyoke, an operating handle on said yoke whereby said impression rollermay be depressed to rollingly impress said sheet upon said duplicatingsurface, and an automatic lock for retaining said impression roller indepressed position, substantially as described.

10. In a copying machine. the combination with a frame member adapted tomove bodily over the duplicating surface of the copying machine, of astationary roller mounted in said frame, a yoke pivotally mounted insaid frame, an impresslon roller mounted in and between the arms of saidyoke, an operating handle on said yoke whereby said impression rollermay be depressed to rollingly impress said sheet upon depressedposition, ,said latch having an extension adapted to engage a suitablestop upon the return of the platen to initial posltion, whereby torelease its locking effectupon said yoke and impression roller,substantially as described.

JOHN J. FLANIGAN. Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. Pom), MATIIE B. BLIss.

